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For Rafael Nadal, self-doubt can be good for his game

LONDON – Many qualities have fueled Rafael Nadal's incredible return to the top of men's tennis, from his ability to adapt and problem-solve to his never-say-die mentality and indefatigable defense. His

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For Rafael Nadal, self-doubt can be good for his game

Douglas Robson, USA TODAY Sports
3:52 p.m. EST November 10, 2013

Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates after winning point against Roger Federer of Switzerland during their ATP world Tour Finals tennis semifinal match at the O2 Arena in London on Sunday.(Photo: Alastair Grant AP)

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Eight-time French Open champion returned in February to regain No. 1

His uncle and coach says the family tried to keep Nadal grounded at an early age

"I always have doubts – before every tournament, before every season, before every match," the 27-year-old Spaniard said on the eve of the ATP World Tour Finals, where he beat Roger Federer in Sunday's semifinals 7-5. 6-3. Last week Nadal locked up the year-end No. 1 ranking.

"I have doubts, I still have doubts, all my career I have doubts, but that's in my opinion a good thing," Nadal added, calling those without them either "stupid" or "arrogant."

Nadal's confessions are no false modesty.

"I truly believe he has convinced himself of that," says Tennis Channel commentator Justin Gimelstob. "He benefits in a way most people don't see or know by backing himself into a corner and fighting himself out."

Never was that lack of self-belief greater than when Nadal was sidelined for seven months with career-threatening knee problems.

But the eight-time French Open champion returned in February to become the first man to hold, lose and regain the No. 1 ranking three times (2008, 2010, 2013).

"(It) was one of the best things that I did in my career: come back to No. 1 after three seasons," said Nadal, who upped his Grand Slam total to 13 with French Open and U.S. Open crowns during the year. "That's very difficult in our sport, and after a very important injury."

His only real hiccup after missing the Australian Open was losing in the first round of Wimbledon to Belgium's Steve Darcis.

Privately, every athlete shoulders doubt. Some great champions have publicly expressed a massive lack of self-confidence – but usually only after retiring. Andre Agassi's autobiography, Open, is perhaps the most eloquent example.

Nadal has forthrightly articulated a constant worry that his skills will deteriorate or that the game will pass him by.

His notorious tics and superstitions – refusing to step on lines, meticulously arranging his water bottles – are another clue that he is constantly battling to put his insecurity at ease.

"Tennis players have a tremendous number of mechanisms to protect themselves from the doubts, the losses, and to reaffirm their belief that they are who they are," explains Leif Shiras, a former pro here commentating for British Sky Sports. "Rafa has to affirm to himself each and every day that he is The Guy."

But the depth of his doubt almost suggests a cognitive dissonance considering how much he has won in his career and in 2013, which includes a tour-high 10 titles and 66 of 72 matches.

No one has insight into Nadal's psyche more than his uncle, Toni Nadal, the only coach Rafael has ever known.

In an interview Wednesday, Toni said the close-knit Nadal clan tried to thwart any sense of entitlement and keep his nephew's feet on the ground.

"(Only an) unbelievable idiot has no doubts," said Toni. "Normal people should have doubt in everything, not only in tennis."

But he also traced Nadal's peculiar mentality to what he called "a problem in his game" – a lack of firepower on serve.

Unable to win as many free points with his delivery, Nadal from an early age has had to dig in for every point and face his vulnerable serve – which today is not much of a weakness.

"You know that you should work more every point," Toni said. "It's normal that it makes doubts for you."

The same insecurity that drives his relentless physicality has been a double-edged sword. The hard-core training has left his long-term health and longevity a question mark.

This season Nadal has continued to experience pain in his aching knees even as he's mowed down the competition.

Gimelstob remembers traveling to Mallorca in 2010 after Nadal won the U.S. Open and competed in the Davis Cup the following week on clay and watching him grind out five-hour practices in what should have been an off week.

"He's convinced himself that if he doesn't keep working hard, he doesn't keep striving, he not only won't be the best, he won't maybe even win a match," says Gimelstob. "It's an asset, but also a liability."

Warmups, too, are a platform to erase self-doubt.

"Every time he goes on the practice court it's not a 20-minute hit like Roger (Federer) just to loosen the body and get ready for the match," says Shiras. "He's out there hitting 50 minutes of hard forehands and backhands just to remind himself he still has these things."

On the court, Nadal never gives up. But in one area, the Spaniard has waved the white flag: tour politics.

Nadal, who once served on the Player Council, has been one of the most stubborn advocates of a shorter, less-hardcourt heavy calendar, and the idea of a two-year ranking system. This week, he said the traditionally indoor year-end tournament should change surfaces, calling it unfair.

Nadal said Wednesday he was a "nobody" lacking influence to affect change in the sport, preferring instead to focus on tennis as he enters the second half of his career.

"I am not enough powerful to change that, and I don't want to fight more, seriously," he said. "I want to play tennis. I want to enjoy the last years of my career, and that's what I am doing."

With the World Tour Finals one of the few jewels missing from his crown, a title here would certainly put to rest any doubt that might somehow remain about who was the best player to walk the planet this year.